BURBANK, California, February 2 /PRNewswire/ -- Walt Disney Pictures and Walden Media, in collaboration with Academy
Award(R)-nominated director Andrew Adamson, have begun pre-production on &quot;The
Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian,&quot; the next big screen installment of the
&quot;Narnia&quot; Chronicles, and the follow-up to the international blockbuster, &quot;The
Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe,&quot; it was announced
today (2/2). The latter film, based on the works of C. S. Lewis, has
attracted legions of moviegoers all over the world and has grossed in excess
of US$637.8 million to date at the worldwide box office. It also received
three Academy Award(R) nominations earlier this week. Internationally,
&quot;Narnia&quot; already ranks as Buena Vista's top grossing live-action release of
all-time (surpassing both &quot;Armageddon&quot; and &quot;Pirates of the Caribbean&quot;) with
its gross to date of US$359.4 million.&quot; Domestically, the film's gross
currently stands at US$278 million and has already established itself as the
Studio's third highest-grossing live-action film of all-time. The film is on
track to become Buena Vista's all-time live-action champ, surpassing &quot;Pirates
of the Caribbean's&quot; worldwide gross of US$655 million.

&quot;The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian,&quot; will reunite most of the
principal cast and creative team responsible for &quot;The Chronicles of Narnia:
The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe.&quot; Andrew Adamson (&quot;Shrek,&quot; &quot;Shrek 2&quot;)
will reprise his role as director, in addition to serving as a producer, and
co-writer (in collaboration with Christopher Markus and Steve McFeeley).
Production is set to begin later this year for a Christmas 2007 release.
&quot;Prince Caspian&quot; finds the Pevensie siblings pulled back into the land of
Narnia, where a thousand years have passed since they left. The children are
once again enlisted to join the colorful creatures of Narnia in combating an
evil villain who prevents the rightful Prince from ruling the land. &quot;Prince
Caspian&quot; was first published in 1951, and is the second book in the
seven-book series written by Lewis. It was intended as a continuation of &quot;The
Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe.&quot; Lewis' &quot;The Chronicles of Narnia&quot; have
sold over 100 million copies worldwide, and continues to be one of the best
loved and most popular series of all time.

Commenting on the announcement, Dick Cook, chairman of The Walt Disney
Studios, said, &quot;We're thrilled to be working with such a great director as
Andrew, and our friends at Walden Media, in bringing the next chapter of the
'Narnia' chronicles to the big screen. Moviegoers around the world were
unanimous in their love and enthusiasm for 'The Lion, The Witch and The
Wardrobe,' and 'Prince Caspian' offers lots of new thrills and adventures in
this magical land. The C. S. Lewis books are a rich source of inspiration for
great storytelling, and this book spotlights some wonderful new heroes, and
villains, along with many of the characters we came to love so much in the
first film.&quot;

Cary Granat, co-founder and CEO of Walden Media, added, &quot;Andrew Adamson,
who possesses an unparalleled passion and vision for the 'Narnia' books,
brought C. S. Lewis' world to life in an imaginative and exciting way. With
'Prince Caspian,' moviegoers will have an opportunity to revisit the magic of
Narnia, encountering exciting new creatures and lands within Narnia alongside
their favorite characters from these beloved books. Dick Cook and Disney have
been amazing partners on this project and we look forward to working with
them on this and other future installments in the 'Narnia' franchise.&quot;

Adamson said, &quot;Making 'The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe' couldn't
have been a more rewarding experience, not just in terms of creative
achievement and audience response, but also because of the family we formed
during production. 'Prince Caspian' not only gives me an opportunity to
challenge my imagination with another classic story, it also allows me to
work alongside the many talented artists who contributed to the first film,
and of course to collaborate again with 'The Pevensies,' Georgie, Skandar,
Anna, and William.&quot;